The Portland daily press., 1887-07-28


coming. All day long the animal remained
Within hearing distance, and during the
long, tedious hours of the second night could
be heard moving about with restless tread,
MS though conscious that some misfortune
had belallen his master.
Daylight appeared at last, and the sick
man made an effort to speak, The horse
hearing the welcome voice, went to the door
of the cabin and pushing it open, thrust his
head into the sick mans presence, at the
same time giving low whinny, as much as
to say, What is the matter?" to which
kindly inquiry there was no response save a
moan. For q moment or two the horse
stared strangely about, seemingly bewild-
cred, then quickly withdrew and In few
minutes gallOped rapidly away. AS the
sound of the horses feet died away the sick
man felt as though his only friend and means
of relief were now lost to him.
The nearest neighbor was ranchman on
the river about six miles distant Once and
a while this neighb0r rode over to the min
ers' camp for short visit; but these trips
were made at irregular intervals, and there
was no certainty when he would be there
again. The ranchman on the river had fin
ished his breakfast and was just coming out
Of his house when his attention was attract
ed to a riderless horse coming down the
mountain road at tremendous gallop. The
reached the corral, or Enclosure, near the
house. He was fiecked with foam and short
of breath, showing that he had come from a
distance and at unusual speed.
The ranchman, knowing the horse, spoke
to him gently, which the animal acknowl-
edged by loud whinny, at the same time
running restlessly up and down the road by
the corral, The ranchman approached the
horse, which, however, would not suffer it.
self to be captured, but galloped off toward
its home, stopping at short distance and
looking back with evident anxiety. The
ranchman returned to the corral when the
horse again galloped down the road and
moved uneaSily about, as ii determined to
attract attention, whinnying and occasionally
giving loud snort as though frightened.
Another attempt to capture the horse, which
usually was very gentle creature, succeed
ed no better than the first, the animal avoid
ing the man in manner hitherto unknown.
The horse ran up the road again and called
to the man to follow-called him by every
dumb sign almost as plainly as though he
was possessed of the power of speech.
These unusual proceedings so impressed
the ianchman that he felt that something
was wrong. Could it be that Galena George
as the miner and owner of the horse was
called-had met with some mishapp Maybe
he has been murdered in his lonely cabin by
''rustlers," or had accidently fallen into the
shaft of his mine without the means of es-
cape. Calling one of his assistants, the men
quickly saddled two of the best horses on the
place, and securing their revolyers to guard
against danger, and providing some medicine
and stlmulants to use in case of emergency,
they rode rapidly away in the direction OF
Galena Georges cabin,
Georges horse, observing this movement
manifested great pleasure and started on q
gallop toward his home. The horsemen fol.
lowed at lively pace, but the free horse
kept we'll to the front, now and then looking
back as If to be sure that the chase had not
been abandoned. On they sped, and in abou,
90 minutes from the time of starting the mel
reached the cabin of their friend, which APP
peared to be deserted. The men dismOunted
his couch, wasted in form and apparently
dead, and at the door stood the faithful
horse, which was patiently waiting for some
sign that he yet lived. The sad sight was SO
touching as to force tears to the eyes of the
men. A hasty examination disclosed the
fact that life was not extinct, and while one
OF the men set about preparations for the re.
lief OF the sick man, the other remounteC
and galloped for physician some 20 mile.
away. Before shutdown of that day the doc
tor reached the miners cabin and found the
sick man conscious through the skillful min.
istrations of his kind neighbor. Within Z
fortnight he was able to walk about. When
told OF the remarkable conduct of his horse
the man wept like child. He said he had
always known that his horse was unusually
intelligent and affectionate, but he coulc
scarcely believe the story of his wonderful
sagacity. George is in good health again
and the care and attention which he bestows
upon Lis horse are like the care of 4 devoted
mother for a fayorite SON Not long since a
gentleman, having learned of the incident
related above, expressed the desire to pur
chase The horse, but George Informed him
tQat no amount of money could tempt him to
part with the animal; that it was his inten
ton to keep him as long as he lived, upor
the very best that the land could produce
and when he died to bury him decently and
erect over his grave monument with the